Roses on Her Grave
by SageofLight7
Summary: Dick pays Donna her annual visit. Dick/Donna, slight AU, post-Graduation Day


**Disclaimer: Most unfortunately, I do not own Nightwing, Troia, or any other recognizable elements of this following piece.**

**IMPORTANT: This was originally posted under a series of mine called "Of Titans, Lovers, and Best Friends" but that story has since been deleted, because I was dissatisfied with the writing style.**

**Background: Dick and Donna dated two years before she died. This piece is set two years after her death. Also, I know Donna Troy was killed in **_**Graduation Day**_**, but I have never read that comic, so I took some liberties with the way she died. Sorry if it doesn't follow canon exactly, but I had no way to get access to that comic.**

**Genre: romance, angst**

**Warnings: depressing thoughts and character death**

Roses on Her Grave

"I would like to buy a dozen red roses, please." Dick said to the elderly woman at the flower shop. It was the same one he had stopped at exactly a year ago, he notices.

The lady smiled at him. "What a thoughtful young man! I'm sure your girlfriend would adore these." She turned around, eyes scanning the labeled shelves, and chose a bouquet from one of the dozens on the shelves.

Dick's smile faded. "I'm sure she would have," he whispered, looking down. _She always loved roses…_

The florist didn't hear him and handed him the fresh blossoms. "That'll be 50 dollars, dearie," she said cheerfully, ringing up his order.

Accepting the flowers, he handed her a 50 dollar bill. "Thank you."

"Good day!" she called to him as he walked out of the store, onto the busy streets.

It was a rather warm day for April; the weather appeared to mock his mood as the sun shined down brightly. Two young children raced past him in the street, nearly bowling him over as they passed.

"Oh sorry, mister!" one of the children, a girl, called to him as she caught up to her friend. Her dark, curly locks bounced up and down as she shrieked with laughter.

_A young woman laughed heartily, as she chased a man through a cluttered room. "Give me back my earrings!" she shouted to him. Her eyes sparkled with mirth, as her dark hair danced around her face. "Don't make me use my powers!" He laughed at her and said –_

"Hey! Watch where you're going!"

Dick was suddenly pulled back into the present as he nearly walked right into a man dressed in a business suit. "Excuse me, I wasn't paying attention," he apologized, stepping away from him.

The man merely glared at him, before striding away muttering about the recklessness of young people. Dick shook his head, as he quickened pace, this time wary of other pedestrians.

It wasn't so bad now. Not every little thing reminded him of her anymore. But today…today was different. Today was the day she had died.

Dick struggled to push away the memories of that awful day, but they came all the same.

_Nightwing gasped with pain, as the robot landed a harsh blow on his side. _Damn it, _he thought, _I can't hold it off much longer._ Pain flared on the left side of his body as he dodged quickly to avoid another blow. He wasn't fast enough to counter the follow up, and his body flew through the air, crashing into a still-standing brick wall. Blinking blood out of his eyes, he was just barely able to make out the robot approaching him. He had just barely made it to his feet, when the robot was intercepted by a figure flying in from the right. "Troia!" he gasped._

Dick tried to pull away from the memories, but it was as if he was being forced to watch a movie, as the memories replayed in his mind.

_Nightwing watched with horrified eyes as the robot shot off a red laser, striking Troia squarely in the chest. Time seemed to freeze as Donna fell from the sky, landing in the wreckage. He wasn't even aware that he was screaming her name, as he ran to her fallen form._

_Finally, after an eternity, he reached her. Blood was everywhere, soaking through her black uniform and pooling around her body. He knelt beside her, cradling her head in his arms. Her heart beat. She wasn't dead._

Dick tried to force the thoughts away again, but they were too strong.

"_Donna, please stay with me," he begged. Her hand, so clasped so tightly around his, fell limp as her eyes closed for the last time. "I'm sorry…" her voice faded away._

"_NO!" His cry was so heartbroken and filled with unendurable agony. "Donna, please…" he whispered brokenly, shoulders shaking with tears, "Please."_

Drawing in a shaky breath, Dick finally succeeded in pulling out of the heartbreaking recollection. Before him was a wrought iron gate.

He had reached the cemetery.

Dick paused for a moment, unwilling or unable to open the gate. Finally, he did so, and entered the quiet graveyard.

Winding his way through the paths, he stopped before a white gravestone.

DONNA TROY

1980-2003

Beloved Sister and Friend

The pain seemed to increase tenfold, a hundred fold, until Dick could no longer bear it and fell to his knees in front of the grave of the woman he loved.

"It's been two years, Donna," he started softy. "I still wake up sometimes and think that I'll see your beautiful face." He paused. "We're getting by, Roy, Wally, and me. Movie night's just not the same. Do you know, we got together last week and watched that stupid romance movie you used to love so much?" He laughed softly. "But I wish you were there with us."

Dick shut his eyes tightly to prevent the tears, which had gathered in his eyes, from falling down his face. He took several deep breaths, and struggled to regain his composure, before he was able to go on.

"Whenever we get coffee together, we always end up ordering an iced mocha. Your favorite. But no one ever drinks it, and it just gets left there." Despite himself, two tears trailed down his cheeks and dripped off his face.

His voice shaky, he whispers "I brought you flowers. You loved red roses remember?" He placed the bouquet on her grave.

"It shouldn't be like this. You should be here to accept the flowers yourself." His voice cracked twice, as his shoulders shook with sobs. "I should be able to buy you flowers and chocolates and maybe a ring." He stops for a moment. "Would we be engaged now? Married?" Dick roughly brushes away the tears.

"I'm trying to let you go, Donna. But it hurts too much. I'm not strong enough to do that."

The breeze picks up slightly and gently caresses his face, as though trying to comfort him. _Let me go_, it whispers in his ears, with a tone achingly familiar to Donna's.

He sits there in silence for a while, eyes closed. In the bright sunlight, the tear tracks glimmered on his face. After several minutes, he draws in a shaky breath, wipes his face with his hands, and stands up. His breath catches in his throat, and he is, for a little while, unable to say anything. Eventually, he glances down at the tombstone, and murmurs what he has been trying to say all along.

"Good-bye, Donna."

As he walks out of the cemetery, another memory plays in his mind.

_Donna looks at him, eyes intense and full of emotion. "I love you."_

_Dick smiles softly at her, and says "I love you too, Donna."_

**Author's Note: I honestly don't remember where I got this idea, but I kind of just went with it. It was emotionally difficult to write, and I myself almost cried while writing it.**

**To clarify, time has elapsed between the flashbacks of Troia's death. I originally wrote out the full death scene, but decided it fit better like this. I hope it wasn't too confusing.**

**Again, sorry about the deviation from **_**Graduation Day,**_** but it can't be helped. And I **_**think**_** Donna was buried on Themiscyra, but for the sake of the story, I needed her to have one on Earth.**

**Also, if you have any ideas or requests, I am always happy to get new inspiration, so please post them in your reviews. Thanks for reading.**


End file.
